Recommended trips
The Lake Traverse. Check on the weather and particularly the wind direction (note for 80% of the year the wind blows towards Pooley Bridge) and ensure you plan to paddle downwind. Take your boat by road to the put in – Glenridding, Howtown or Pooley Bridge (for security leave someone with your gear or at the very least lock it up). Afterwards drive to your destination and take the Ullswater Steamer back to your boat.
Glenridding to Aria point for tea! Launch from Glenridding (or one of the car parking laybys opposite Sandwick) and paddle to Aria point. Leave your boat on the shore and follow the footpath to the road and the Café on the far side for afternoon tea!
Island circuit. Launch from Glencoyne (having checked on the weather first) and paddle to Norfolk Island, Silver Point, and south to the other islands of Lingy and Cherry Holm before crossing back to near the steamer pier at Glenridding and a café stop? Then return down the western shore passing the wooded cliffs to Glencoyne.
The Middle reaches. Launch in one of the laybys opposite Sandwick and paddle down to Skelly Nab and Outward Bound and then cross the lake at its narrowest point to the small crag (Geordie’s crag) at the corner of the lake. Make a detour back up to visit the Birkett memorial on Kailpot crag just 100 metres. Then paddle into Howtown bay and across to near the steamer pier. The beach before the pier is public and one can therefore land. Leave your boat securely and take a stroll up the ‘Hause’ or even Hallin Fell for magnificent views across the lake. Either return the way you have come or paddle towards Pooley Bridge for a while and then cross back to the northern side and return past Leeming House Hotel and Outward Bound.
The ‘Lowland’ end. Launch at Pooley Bridge or one of the two campsites and paddle up to Ullswater Yacht Club and then cross the lake at a narrowing just after the yacht club heading towards a large wooden boat house. Then paddle down that side of the lake back towards Pooley Bridge passing a marina and small harbour before reaching the end of the lake.
Launching and parking
Here is a list of parking and launching sites starting at Glenridding and heading around the lake in a clockwise direction.
Glenridding steamer pier. A pay and display car park with good access to the lake and public beach on either side. Please keep clear of the pier as the steamers need clear access at all times. Note: if you are a large group and are not using the steamer, you will need to ask if you can park.
On the road towards Glencoyne is a layby, just after the large cliff next to the road, about 1km from Glenridding. Free car parking but you have to cross this busy road to access the public beach.
Glencoyne. Large National Trust pay and display car park – once again you have to cross the road with your boat to access the public beaches. Please do not restrict the entrance with large trailers or vehicles.
Aira Force. National Trust pay and display car park, just after the A 5091 leaves on your left. This is a limited car park and is not ideal, as the launch spot is about 500 metres across the road and down a footpath to the lakeshore. The National Trust is not happy about canoeists using the car park, it is therefore not recommended.
Numerous free lay-bys on your right are now passed but they are a little way above the lake so making it difficult to launch. Far better to continue a short way till you reach another four parking spots next to the lake opposite Sandwick. Easy and safe launching from these as you do not have to cross the road. They can however be very busy, and at peak times parking is often limited.
Pooley Bridge. Two pay and display car parks exist, one just before the bridge over the river, on the left, the other after on the right. Both are often very busy on a summer’s day. Unfortunately you must carry your boat some 300 metres down a footpath and launch from the beach past the Lakeland Boat Hire Company.
Howtown
Here is one of the few public launch spots but unfortunately has no parking nearby. One has to park either on the way up the ‘hause’ (the steep road beyond) or at the top of the ‘hause’ and walk back down to the launch spot near the steamer pier.
Sandwick. There is limited parking here and a walk of some 400 metres to get to the bay where you can launch.
Note: All the listed campsites have launching, but unless you are camping there, they may charge you for launching.
Points of interest
Starting at Glenridding and working roughly northward along the lake.
The whole of the Glenridding area is interesting with four small islands and occasional cliffs on the shore. Norfolk Island is the only real island the others being just a collection of rocks? Note: Camping is not allowed on the island. Silver Point has a lovely beach and easy walk, to the high spot giving some beautiful views down the lake.
Aira point is a natural delta from the Aira beck and on the left of the obvious wall is a small footpath heading up to the road and the café. To the left of this wall, is National Trust land but to the right it is private. Beyond on the hillside is Lydulph’s Tower a folly built in the 17th century, but unfortunately it has no public access.
On the far side lays Sandwick bay, a pleasant sandy bay with a number of interesting rocky bays that lead to Kail pot crag and the ‘Birket Memorial’. This fairly large plaque set into the cliff face commemorates Lord Birket and the inscription explains the rest.
Round the headland lies the large sheltered bay of Howtown. To the northeast one can see the Sharrow Bay Hotel on the right hand shore. This is one of the leading country house hotels in Britain and is well placed with fine views across the lake.
Beyond Sharrow bay and the ‘narrows’ lies Ullswater Yacht Club, a very active club that has a large fleet of International 10sq metres canoes. Look out for them leading the pack on weekend races. Particularly worthwhile viewing is the Birket Race, which is held on the first weekend in July. Over 500 sailing boats race from the yacht club to Norfolk Island and back. A truly fantastic sight!
Just past Water Side campsite, is a set of railway tracks (not the main west coast line!) but the hauling out spot for one of the steamers in the winter. Back on the Northern shore is a neat small private harbour. Finally you arrive at the Pooley Bridge end of the lake, with quite shallow water and sometimes fairly large breaking waves that can give small surfing experiences. The outflow from the lake is the River Eamont but this is private and canoeing is not allowed except under certain circumstances. Contact the BCU river information officer.
Ullswater Canoe Trail pilot project
This is a pilot project to learn more about how participants use Ullswater for canoeing activities.
The intention is to provide facilities for canoeing enthusiasts to create an enjoyable leisure and learning experience. This will include dedicated car parking facilities, signage and site interpretation, a gazetteer and a more detailed map.
We need your feedback to fine tune and hone this great vision into something that really will be enjoyed by all. Please email your comments to: [email protected]
Safety
Safety is paramount and you should always wear a buoyancy aid and or a lifejacket. Those in kayaks are advised to wear a spraydeck. The lake is very deep and is therefore very cold for much of the year. Bear this in mind with regards to safety, both in what you wear and in the nature of the trip you plan to undertake. People drown or die of hypothermia on this lake fairly regularly, though most of the time it is because they do not wear a buoyancy aid!
People paddle on Ullswater in all sorts of boats but perhaps the best boat is a sea kayak which is stable, runs in a straight line and can weather rough water and strong winds. After that, canoes and touring kayaks come a close second. Sit on tops are good too, though they are often fairly slow.
The wind is the main controlling factor on the lake and can make some trips impossible and/or dangerous.
If you are not sure of your abilities always stay very close to the shore, or in a protected bay. e.g. Howtown or Glenridding (dependant on wind direction). Take note of the wind strength and direction, both in a weather forecast before you arrive at the lake and directly before you go afloat. The general lie of the valley often changes the wind direction that is forecast. You will find a Force 3 wind is difficult to paddle into, a Force 4 is almost impossible to paddle directly into and it is often difficult to paddle in any direction.
Large waves with their tops breaking every now and again (white horses) will be seen on the lake at these wind speeds. If that is the case, then be very careful about your launch point and general paddling plan i.e. do not paddle across the lake. It is generally easier to go downwind but you might find it too difficult to paddle back.
If you are planning an out and back trip then always set off, into the wind so that it will be easier to get back. If traversing the lake then plan your trip so that you paddle downwind.
Ideally you should always paddle in a group of at least three and if planning to cross or paddle the length of the lake at least one of you should know how to perform a ‘deep water rescue’.
Remember the lake has a busy steamer schedule all year and these boats need to be given a wide berth, particularly when they are manoeuvring near the piers.
Otherwise have fun!